Evaluating public health perspectives of sexually transmitted diseases: The need for further research

While sexuality is the focus of extensive research, the concept has not been adequately defined. In this paper, sexuality is defined as the individual capacity to respond to physical experiences which are capable of producing body‐centered genital excitation, that only subsequently becomes associated with cognitive constructs (either anticipatory for new experiences or reflective of past experiences) independent of ongoing physical experiences. The discussion focuses on four components of this definition: that sexuality is an individual capacity, is experiential, is body‐oriented, and is directed toward genital excitation.     

Marginally oversaturated designs

A special class of supersaturated design, called marginally over saturated design (MOSD), in which the number of variables under investigation (k) is only slightly larger than the number of experimental runs (n), is presented. Several optimality criteria for supersaturated designs are discussed. It is shown that the resolution rank criterion is most appropriate for screening situations. The construction method builds on two major theorems which provide an efficient way to evaluate resolution rank. Examples are given for the cases n=8, 12, 16, and 20. Potential extensions for future work are discussed.     

Is rational choice humanity’s most distinctive trait?

The Greeks and the thinkers of the Enlightenment regarded reason as the defining quality of humankind. The Utilitarians limited it to the selection of means to any given end for action excluding the determination of moral values and social institutions. This became a postulate of classical and neoclassical economics borrowed by rational choice theory in sociology. James Coleman accepted as rational any action based on the actor's belief in its rationality, which would not rule out the delusions of psychotics. Despite this and other concessions that treat almost any explicable action as rational, sociologists have correctly criticized rational choice theory for ignoring the pervasive effects of socialization in achieving the internalization of norms and values. Rational choice theory also fails to illuminate human emotions and motivations, pictured in their full complexity in great literature.     

Confidentiality and Media Attention: A Discussion Concerning Denial and Public Education

The article presents the beginning of a discussion on how the doctrine of confidentiality may have been misapplied in the area of children's protective services. It asks the reader to consider who the client is in these cases and, having answered that question, asks what is the professional responsibility? The whole discussion is linked to the difficulties in dealing with media attention in these cases and offers some experience in the form of case examples. Woven in to the matrix of the above discussion is a clinical and public educational discussion. Preserving confidentiality in its traditional sense can contribute to a preservation of the family secret, namely, child abuse. In that way, a child protection agency can actually be contributing to the maintenance of abuse patterns in a family. Also, with no capacity to speak professionally about specific abuse, the public education impact is diminished.     

Restorative justice for juvenile offenders in China: Current practices and challenges

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, restorative justice has gained considerable recognition worldwide and has become a prominent option for diverting juveniles away from the traditional criminal justice system as well as delivering fair and just outcomes in the justice process. This paper provides an overview of how the criminal justice system operates for juvenile offenders in the People’s Republic of China (hereafter, China). Based on a sophisticated literature review of recent Chinese academic journal articles on restorative justice for juveniles, the paper presents an analysis of the characteristics and operational procedures of current practices. Deficits and potential future developments pertaining to Chinese restorative practices for delinquents are also discussed.     

Globalization,political economy,and HIV/AIDS

Theory and Society -